Water ballast device for aircraft



June 6, 1939. DUERR WATER BALLAST DEVICE FOR AIRCRAFT Filed Jan. 10, 1936 Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER BALLAST DEVICE FOR AIRCRAFT Application January 10, 1936, Serial No. 58,525 In Germany January 11, 1935 9 Claims.

My invention relates to water ballast devices for aircraft and has special reference to devices of this kind which are used for replenishing the ballast of gas sustained airships so as to compensate for the weight of the fuel consumed in the engines of the craft.

The main object of my device is to provide means by which it is possible for the airship to follow its course over the water surface, for example over sea, in a height which in no way endangers the ship to come into contact with the water and at the same time to have an intake member which submerges under the surface of the water without jumping from wave to wave and thus exerting undue stresses on the hose for transporting the water upward to the ship.

For this purpose I divide the height from the water' surface to the ship into two portions. The ballast Water is pressed upward over the lower portion by the pressure resulting from the intake member being drawn below the surface through the water over which the airship passes, whereas a pump situated at the upper end of the lower portion pumps the water ballast upward through the upper portion into the ship.

This subdivision of the total height to be overcome has the advantage that it is possible to have an adequately shaped water intake member which need not contain a pump and yet the airship is not obliged to go down over the water surface to such a low altitude that the pressure exerted by the intake member suffices to transport the ballast water into the ship, as at such low altitude the ship would be endangered to get into contact with the water surface which would mean a greater disaster if the ship were flying with its usual speed. On the other hand reduction in speed or standing still for the purpose of replenishing ballast water would cause an unbearable increase in travelling time.

In the drawing two examples are shown which embody my invention:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical side view of an airship equipped with one kind of apparatus according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the end 5 of the hose 4 represented in Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.

In Fig. 3 the second kind of apparatus according to my invention is shown in side view.

Fig. 4 is a side view (partly in section) of the end member 'I of hose 4 as represented in Fig. 3, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a corresponding vertical section, taken on line V-V of Fig. 4.

From the airship A a pump 2 which may be driven by electricity is lowered by means of a rope I or the like. A hose 3 connects pump 2 with the water container or containers situated within the airship and not represented in the drawing. A second hose 4 is connected to the suction side of pump 2. This hose is long enough so that it slides on the water surface and after some time when sufiiciently wet submerges into the water just below its surface. Due to the speed of the airship travelling in the direction indicated by the arrow, hose 4 with its end member 5 is dragged along below the water surface.

The cone-like end member 5 of the hose has an annular opening which may be subdivided into a plurality of smaller openings and opens in the direction of movement in the water. These openings l5 and 6 are so shaped that they act as pressure nozzles so that the speed of the entering water is transformed partly into pressure serving for pressing the water upward through hose 4 to pump 2. This pump 2 then pumps the water into the containers within the airship A. To prevent the water from flowing backwards in case of reduction in pressure a one-way valve [6 or the like may be provided.

In the second example represented in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the end member 1 of hose 4 is shaped differently from member 5 of the first example. It is a tube having the shape of a colter of a plough the point of which is directed towards the direction of movement through the water. The water ends through nozzles 8 which are provided with valves 9 preventing back flow.

To make certain that member I has always the right position it may be advisable to provide a rope l3 or the like connecting member I with the upward portion of hose 4; and also a weight I I may be attached to hose 4 at a certain point for the same purpose. Furthermore, a stabilising plane or fin l2 may add to this effect also.

I do not want to be limited to the details described or shown in the drawing as many variations will occur to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with an airship of means for supplying Water to said ship, comprising a hose suspended from said ship, a scoop at the end of said hose for scooping water from a body of water as the ship moves over said body of water, and a weight secured to the hose: at the forward side thereof for assisting in properly positioning the scoop at the end of the hose in proper relation with respect to the forward movement of the ship.

2. A deviceas set forth in claim 1 in which a tensioning member is connected to said hose at 7 points spaced substantially from said weight and 'on opposite sides thereof for supporting the scoop at the end of the hose from the upper end of the hose while freeing the weighted portion of the hose from the weight of the scoop whereby the weighted portion'sags and in a forward direction to further insure the positioning of the scoop in its proper operative relation to the movement of the ship. 7

3. In a device of the class'described, the combination with an airship of a hose suspended therefrom intermediate the ends thereof, a bracing member-connected to said hose intermediate the ends thereof and having the other end connected to the ship a substantial distance forwardly of the point from which the hose is suspended for maintaining the upper portion of the hose in a substantially vertical direction and for distributing the pull on the hose as well as stabilizing its position, and a scoop on the lower free end of the hose for scooping water into the hose and for forcing the same-upwardly toward the ship.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which the lower end of the hose is weighted on the forward side thereof to position the scoop in proper operative relation to the movement of the ship.

5. A device as set forth in claim 3 in which the lower end of the hose is weighted on the forward 7 side thereof to position the scoop in proper operanected to an airship as the latter moves over a body of water comprising a hollow colter-shaped member having the forward V-shaped edge the-reof slit transversely to provide openings for, the entrance of water into said colter-shaped member, said'colter-shaped member having a reverse bend therein extending forwardly of the coltershaped member for connection to said hose.

in operation and delivering it by pressure established by moving the aircraft, said member being provided with at least one nozzle-like opening, the inlet end of which extends in the direction in which the device is moved by the aircraft, whereby to cause the entering water to be forced upwardly toward said pump, said member having the forward edge thereof substantially-V-shaped in cross-section with said opening situated in said edge.

8. A water ballast device for aircraft comprising a pump adapted to be lowered from the aircraft to a position substantially below same and above the surface of the water from which Water is to be supplied to the aircraft, a hose connecting said pump with said aircraft, a second hose de pending from said pump adapted to connect said pump to the water surface, a member attached to the lower end of said second hose for scooping water to said hose when said device is in operation and delivering it by pressure established by moving the aircraft, said member being provided with at least one nozzle-like opening, the inlet end of which extends in the direction in which the device is moved by the aircraft, whereby to cause the entering water to be forced upwardly toward said pump, said device including means adapted to lie above the water surface in normal operation for guiding said end member of said second hose so that said nozzle-like'openings are always directed in the same direction in which the member is moved by the aircraft on which it is carried. 7

' 9. A water ballast device for aircraft comprising a pump adapted to be lowered from the aircraft to a position substantially below same and above the surface of the water from which water is to be supplied to the aircraft, a hose connecting said pump with said aircraft, a second hose depending from said pump adapted to connect said pump to the water surface, a member attached to the lower end of saidsecond hose for scooping water to said hose when said device is in operation and delivering it bypressure established by moving the aircraft, said member being provided with at least one nozzle-like opening, the inlet end of which extends in the direction in which the device is moved by the aircraft, whereby to cause the entering Water to be forced upwardly toward said pump, said device including a vertical stabilizing vane attached to said end member of said second hose and attached to the hose at a point adapted to lie above the surface of the water when the device is in normal operation.

- LUDWIG DUERR, 

